


Survivor of the Past (Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal)

by MechanicusAngelus



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29063649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MechanicusAngelus/pseuds/MechanicusAngelus
Summary: Despite saving Astral world twice and rewriting the past with the Numeron Code, darkness always reforms and Evil creeps eternally in the shadows.Will Rio find the source of her Visions?Will some people regain lost memories?Will Yuma even be important to this story at all?Find out!
Kudos: 3





	1. Darkened Pleas

"A new darkness… but an old evil… evil is returning… it refuses to be stopped!"

"Rio!" Shark caught his sister before she fell. Since Astral had returned them as humans, Rio hadn't had any visions- until now it seemed.

Rio gasped for breath as she feebly clutched at her chest with one hand, leaning into her brother for support. They stood out the front of their second childhood home, the one they lived in when Abyss Splash rescued them many years ago. Now all the seven former Barian emperors shared the one household.

"Something bad is going to happen again brother…" she looked to him worriedly. 

Now that she had regained her breath, Shark had a question come to him. "How do you get your visions Rio? You've never said."

Her face becoming thoughtful, the blue haired teen considered the question. "I don't know actually, they've just always come to me when they're most important." Rio's expression became one of concern soon afterwards however. "It was different this time. Someone was calling for help… I actually saw a shape of a person, shouting at me. Usually it's just vague colours and the words of warning… I fear this will be unlike anything we have faced before."

"We should warn the others. Yuma, Kite, and Astral even if we can." Shark spoke decidedly, ready to call a house meeting.

"If it is truly such a threat, Astral would likely be on his way. We're his friends, and he has a habit of showing up when he is most needed." Rio smiled brightly.

"Come on. The twerp will know soon enough no doubt, so let's call up a meeting." Shark headed inside, and hit the bell in the living room that they used when food was ready.

Upon the ringing of the bell, the burly form of Girag appeared with his mysterious speed for food, and was evidently both confused and disappointed at the lack of such.

"What's the commotion for Nash? I was about to watch an anime about monsters becoming real and destroying humanity." Vector asked from up on one of the staircase railings near to the hall with his room, using the former Barian's real name.

"Obviously he wouldn't call everyone after dinnertime if it wasn't important Vector." A proper, upper class accent joined in the conversation as Mizar, the golden-haired dragon master came in through a side door, having been outside. Alito, the boxing champion followed him in, and Dumon appeared at the other staircase, bringing everyone to be present.

"I agree with Mizar." Dumon replied simply, looking to his best friend as he wondered what was wrong.

"I… I had another vision." Rio spoke up, stepping out of her brother's shadow. "A new darkness threatens, but an old evil is returning… someone new was calling for help." She explained.

"That's… disturbing…" Alito shivered.

Dumon held his chin in thought. "A new darkness but an old evil… Does that mean Don Thousand is returning, in a new form?" He suggested.

"If so, then that would mean Astral missed something as he did his universe edit with the Numeron Code." Mizar sighed.

"Just be on your guard, we don't know what will happen, or when or even how or where. Be prepared for the unexpected. Dismissed." Shark wrapped up the meeting, letting everyone return to their business.

"I'll call Bronk and tell him that he will have to get the Number Investigation Club to reform for a meeting… and probably rename themselves." Rio chuckled softly as she realized.

Shark rolled his eyes. "I'll call Kite and get him, and the rest of his science crew on the lookout for anything disturbing and dark." The siblings split off to make their respective calls. 

~~  
Rio took her Duel Gazer out of her pocket when she made it to her bedroom, dialling Bronk. She was not surprised to find him almost instantly pick up.

"Oh, heya Rio! I was just on my way home cuz it's late- is everythin' alright?" Bronk asked, skateboarding his way home from Yuma's place. Rio had never called late before, and he couldn't help but blush every time she asked for his attention specifically.

Rio took a deep breath. "Don't panic Bronk, but something bad might be happening again." She began.

"But I thought you stopped getting visions?" His confusion was visible, as they had a visual connection with their call.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but it would seem otherwise." Rio sighed. "I was hoping you could get your friends on the lookout for anything abnormal, if that's alright?" She asked sweetly.

Bronk blushed a bit more at her sweet tone. "Sure, anything for you Rio! Uh, does Yuma know about this?" 

"We don't know, but I'm guessing if this vision is important, he will know soon."

"Alright, I better get to alerting the Number Hunting Club! Thanks for the heads up Rio, and stay safe." Bronk smiled, his green spike of hair waving back and forth rapidly from the hole in the cap he wore backwards, as the breeze blew past him while he rode.

"You stay safe too Bronk." Rio smiled and hung up, before sighing and falling back onto her bed.  
~~

"Do you really think that Astral would have overlooked Don Thousands presence when he changed the past?" Alito asked Mizar, putting his boxing gloves back on.

Mizar sighed deeply. "It might be that he wasn't able to completely erase Don Thousand without erasing us at the same time. After all, we have only lived this long thanks to his horrid interference in our lives." Mizar had agreed to keep Alito company while Girag watched the popular singing competition program that ran every night.

Alito rained a barrage of punches into the punching bag set up, panting gently after six or seven. "That's a good point. Whatever it is though, I'm sure we can give it a good old One two punch and get a hard knockout. When it comes to Don Thousand, I'll take him down as many times as he gets up again." He let loose more attacks into the punching bag.

"Don't worry, I'm sure if Don Thousand returns, he will feel the true fury of my Dragons this time." Mizar clenched his fist as he remembered when he tried to take on the Barian Deity in a double loss self sacrifice mission, only to be destroyed without a single point of damage done to the enemy. He learned that day that raw power, even that of dragons or gods, were nothing compared to that of Friendship, and the Teamwork built from it.  
~~

"Kite! You there?" Shark asked as his call made it through. He had put his D-Gazer on so he didn't have to hold it, a screen projecting the video feed from the call through the digital world.

"You're lucky we work late." Kite answered as he picked up.

"Heya there Shark, long time no talk, what's happening?" Quattro appeared nearby.

"Hello Quattro-" Shark sighed at the interruption. "Wondered if you had picked up on anything unusual in the area, since you guys specialise in Dimensional research."

"Why, something happen?" Kite looked stoic as always, but Quattro looked concerned as he spoke to Shark. Before he could reply with a witty retort however, the former Barian watched Kite rush off screen.

"Hart! Hart, tell me, what's wrong?" In the laboratory run at the Tenjo household that the Arclight family was also often found, Kite rushed over to his younger brother Hart, who had just gone pale and nearly collapsed, looking to possibly be sick any second.

"She… she needs help Kite… she's scared-" Hart managed to say between ragged breaths, sweating like he had a fever.

"Who needs help Hart? What's going on?" Kite tried to get a coherent answer out of his brother, but Hart passed out in Kite's arms before he was able to say more.

"What's going on Shark, you better tell us right now what you know." Kite reappeared with Hart in his grasp, cradling the smaller, unconscious boy.

"Rio had a vision again, about some darkness coming. She said it was different this time because she heard someone calling for help as well." Shark told them.

"A vision? Darkness? That's not good-" Quattro stated the obvious.

"No duh Quattro. Hart said something about a female needing help just before he passed out as well. I think someone is reaching out for our help, but isn't able to do it normally. Be on your guard, and we will monitor everything we can." Kite hung up.

"Wow, not even able to say thanks… I wonder if Kite will ever lighten up." Shark shrugged and removed his duel gazer. "Whatever, what do I care? It's not like his personality affects mine." Shark went inside again, having gone out the front in comparison to Alito and Mizar, who were out the back. Making his way up the stairs, he passed Dumon, who was waiting in the doorway to his own bedroom.

"Whatever happens, I'm sure we can handle it together." He reassured his best friend. This made Shark smile slightly. "You're a natural leader Nash, we always do well under your guidance."

"Yeah, even I don't get annoyed anymore!" Vector added, shouting through the wall of his own bedroom which was beside Dumon's. 

This made Shark and Dumon chuckle. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight my friend." Shark bid the grey haired, bespectacled male a good night of sleep before heading to his own room to sleep.


	2. The Re-Convention of the Secret Number Hunter Investigation Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bronk and friends meet up once again and unexpectedly discover a little more about Rio's vision!

"Is everybody here then?" Bronk asked, looking around. It was the next day, Bronk having called the meeting immediately after Rio had called him the night before.

"Yep!" Flip piped up, the shortest of the group as always. He often jumped when he spoke if he was excited or wanting attention.

"Sure am." Caswell nodded. He was nervous but a little excited too. He had loved being apart of a secret club full of friends.

Tori stood beside Rio. "This better be important because Rio and I were going to go shopping today." She had her arms crossed.

Rio turned to her. "It is important Tori, I'm sorry. I'm the one that asked Bronk to call the meeting after all." She explained.

"You? Does this mean another cat-tastrophe is on its way?" Cathy asked, worried. The last issues that the friends had dealt with were scary in many ways, as they risked losing their friends and loved ones permanently much too often for her liking.

"Possibly… we don't really know." Rio sighed. "I had another vague vision, I just know something is coming, and someone needs help." She explained further.

"Has anyone told Yuma yet?" Tori asked curiously. Rio and Bronk shook their heads.

"We figured that if it was really important, then Astral would show up, and then Yuma would know. I didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing, just in case." Everyone missed Astral, but no one missed him more than Yuma did.

Tori sighed and relaxed. "I guess that makes sense… so, what should we be on the lookout for?"

"Anything nasty and weird, probably." Bronk replied with a shrug.

"In the end, we never really catch a break, do we?" Caswell sighed.

Flip started jumping and waving his arms. "Guys, hey guys! You mean something weird and nasty, like that?" He pointed down the street.

They saw a shadowy figure running, with a strange and not fully formed monster chasing them. It looked like they were running and trying to cross over from another place at the same time, as their incomplete forms raced through the plaza. It was early morning, so not many people were out and about yet, but those who were there watched on in confusion.

"Lets follow it!" Bronk declared, and they all ran after them to see what was happening. Rio took off first, before Bronk had finished speaking, as she felt an urgency deep down in her heart. The monster looked dangerous, and she couldn't help but think that the person trying to escape the monster, was the one who had called out to her.

The group ran down many streets, following the figures until they turned down an alleyway. Just in time to see the figure trip over, there was a cry of pain as they hit the ground. They struggled as they were picked up, their desperate pleas to be let go only half heard by the group. Caswell and Flip were holding onto each other in fright, and Bronk had a look of panicked concern. Tori was behind Bronk, with Cathy as they too were afraid, but Rio looked more angry than anything.

"Put them down!" Rio demanded, causing the brutish monster that was at least twice as tall as any of the group, to face them. Close up, they were a black void-like figures with gold crackling at the edge of their three dimensional outlines, making it hard to figure out what the silhouettes were. Cathy shakily brought out her D-Gazer and took a picture of the scene before them. She was just in time, as they vanished in a spark of gold particles.

" _P-Please- Help me…_ " the voice Rio had heard from her first vision rang through her head yet again. Finding herself on her knees, she was helped up by Bronk and Tori.

"Are you okay Rio?" Tori asked softly.

She nodded, smiling shakily. "I'm fine, Thank you. I just heard that voice again, she calling for help.'

"No wonder she was calling for help, that monster sure looked scary." Caswell gulped.

Flip was shaking, and still clinging to Caswell. "I'd be calling for help too if that goliath came chasing me!"

"I-I was able to get a picture of it, just before it vanished." Cathy managed to speak up to the group. They all turned to look at her.

"Good work Cathy! Now we have physical evidence too." Bronk was already emotionally recovered from the events that had just transpired.

"Could you send it to me please? That way, I can show my brother what to look out for." Rio asked politely, and Cathy sent the message through.

"Well, I think after that, we should get some rest. That was pretty spooky! Meeting adjourned!" Bronk declared.

Flip, Cathy and Caswell walked home together, whilst Bronk headed a different way. He was hungry, so his first stop was the food court. Tori and Rio decided to continue their shopping trip, after Rio sent some messages to Shark about what had happened.

**Rio;** -image attached, unknown_creature.jpeg-

this is what we found, it was chasing someone. We chased it but they both vanished.

**Shark;** What the hell is that thing?

**Rio;** We don't know, we never saw it as anything other than that. And I think it was chasing the person that was in my vision.

**Shark;** Why do you think that Mirin?

**Rio;** Because I heard the voice again, right after the shapes vanished. Nothing more than another call for help though.

**Shark;** Send me the names of the places you were when it happened, I'll send it through to Kite and see if he picks up anything. Stay safe.

**Rio;** You too brother.


	3. Chasing Illusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a friendly duel meet up, and the most unusual chase so far.

"Alright then! Who's ready for a friendly smackdown! Haha!!" Yuma asked his gathered friends, excited for the duel tournament they had set up.

"Lets split into teams first, shall we?" Alito reminded him.

The six members had assembled by the waterfront, a place Yuma often stopped to lay in the grass and look up at the sky. Standing in the group was Yuma, wearing his golden key as always; Alito, ready for a fight as per usual; Trey, who was taking a break from research for once; Vector, who decided a good duel might do him some good, rather than being cooped up in his room; Girag, who had come only because Alito came; and Nistro, who was in town at the time, and the main reason Yuma decided to set up a miniature tournament.

"It'll be myself, Nistro, and Yuma against Rei, Alito and Girag. Sound fair?" Trey asked everyone present, garnering a laugh from Nistro.

"I don't care, regardless of who I duel, I'm going to get a good fight!" Nistro grinned, his warrior soul beginning to burn even before any duel began.

"That's just what I like to hear." Alito smirked. "Be prepared for a pummeling though!"

"This should be interesting." Vector smiled, completely relaxed. "Who is up first? Or are we all duelling at once? That could get pretty hectic."

"I'm starting to feel like a weak link here…" Girag muttered, hungry.

"I wanna battle Alito again! Since Nistro is on my team, I can't fight him right now." Yuma and Alito pretended to throw a punch at each other at the same time, ending in a strong fist bump between the pair. "Bring it on!"

"You better be ready Yuma, or else it'll be a TKO finish!" Alito replied, equally as eager.

"While those two are at it, I want to have a go at Rei! I hear you're quite the opponent." Nistro cracked his knuckles before pointing at Vector. "Whaddya say? Got the guts to duel a guy like me?"

"Who, you? Bring it on. If Alito can beat you, this should be easy~" Vector smirked, chuckling.

"I suppose that leaves you and me Girag. I would be honoured if you were to duel me." Trey spoke politely, bowing.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Let's duel." Girag wasn't too sure, but neither male had seen the other duel before, allowing for some first time excitement.

~~

Disturbed from his rest, Astral looked about the room. He could sense… something, but he did not know what it was. "Hello? Is someone there?" He looked around, and heard a commotion from outside. Leaving the room, he saw shadows and a commotion further along. Eventually as he caught up, floating along at a high speed, he saw a golden, electrically lined void-black silhouette pair, with two very different shapes.

"Wait! Who are you both? Why are you here?" He tried to ask them, but fruitlessly as there was no answer. Too busy following them, he had taken off towards Earth, as the centipede-like shaped creature chased down the humanoid one.

~~

"I Xyz summon, Gagaga Cowboy!" Yuma declared, all three duels underway. They were all so busy, not one of the six boys noticed the gathering of clouds, or the pulse of Light, assuming it was due to one of the other pair's duels.

Astral came through, chasing the shadow still, realising he was in Heartland City as the odd trio continued. Flying along and deftly dodging obstacles as necessary, he never gave up the chase.

"Trey, behind you!" A shout came through before the call fully came up, Quinton and Quattro appearing in view, with Kite in the background.

"What?" Trey was startled, and then looked behind him.

Headed for the group were the same two shapes Astral had been chasing down. Astral continued to follow them, and slowly each of the pairings turned to look at what was happening.

Before the shape could reach the safety of the Duelists, the monster behind them flickered into view for a split second, showing a bright red carapace, gnashing jaws and sharp legs. It stuck out a long tongue as it flickered back to being gold outlined and black everywhere else. The tongue struck the fleeing figure, and they both shattered out of existence, like a defeated duel monster.

"Damn, lost them!" Quattro sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Don't despair brother. We got a look at a potential creature with colour. This is an improvement."

Meanwhile, Yuma was ecstatic. "Astral! What are you doing here?"

"I came following those peculiar creatures. They traveled from Astral world to Earth." Astral replied. "I should tell Eliphas about this."

"Welcome back Astral!" Trey greeted him, causing Astral to fully observe the situation before him.

"Hello Trey… tell me Yuma, what is happening?" He referred to the duels. Yuma quickly filled him in, and then Quattro cleared his throat, giving Quinton the chance to speak.

"Stay safe boys. We will keep watching the city from here again." They hung up.

"So, what was that about?" Nistro asked, promoting Alito and Trey to fill them in. Girag had found a place to order some food quickly nearby, and came back as he chowed down on a cup noodle.

"Why am I the last one to hear about all this?" Yuma complained, after the explanation was over. "Everyone else knew, except me!"

"Perhaps your friends didn't want to worry you?" Nistro suggested.

Rei laughed. "Or perhaps they didn't want you hogging the spotlight again!" He joked.

"I think it was that they didn't want to accidentally get your hopes up about Astral, for him to end up not coming." Trey gave his reason.

"But I have come?" Astral didn't understand, but they changed topics. Eventually, the duels continued, with Astral leaving temporarily to relay the new information to Eliphas and Enna.


	4. Signal Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new signal pings on the tracking system in the Tenjo Laboratory!

In the laboratory at the Tenjo residence, Hart was stationed by the monitor that scanned for unknown sources appearing in the city. With the last two appearances, the Arclights, Kite and his father Dr. Faker had been able to narrow down the signal so that should it ever appear again, the tracker could identify it. The boys were hoping that the signal would stay longer this time, so they could trace it back to its original source, and discover where it was coming from. Very suddenly, a red mark appeared on the map, indicating that the signal had reappeared, and Hart called out to everyone.

"Come quick, it came back!" His to be was urgent and his voice loud, meaning everyone came close.

"Quattro, come with me. This seems more like your kind of work than being stuck behind a desk." Kite declared, already moving to head out. "Orbital, with me."

"Y-Y-yes sir!" Orbital 7, with his signature glitchy voice box waved goodbye to his mechanical family as he wheeled after his Master, Kite.

"Hart, stay safe."

"Of course big brother! I have Trey and Quinton and Dad and Vetrix with me! I'll be fine." He smiled brightly.

"Good luck Quattro, and be careful." Quinton told his middle brother, and the youngest one nodded in agreement.

Quattro laughed. "Sorry brother, but that's just not my style. See ya."

Hart sent out a call to some of their friends to provide backup just in case- After all, Kite nearly died on the moon, and Hart didn't want to risk losing his brother again. Due to it being a school day, most of them were at Heartland academy. Yuma and Tori were in class with their friends, Rio too. However Shark, Dumon and Mizar had a study period together, and thus were free to leave without drawing too much suspicion- not that Shark would have cared either way. As soon as the message came through from Hart, the trio were up and riding out, headed for the current location of the signal. He had sent a message to Rio to let her know where they went, in case they weren't back for break in time.

"Hey Nash, any guesses as to what the monster will be this time? I'm going to guess a flying monster." Dumon's face came up in the digital world as the three drove together, side by side with Shark in the centre.

"I'm going to guess a dragon." Mizar also joined in the conversation. "Let me guess, you'll choose a water creature, won't you?" Shark laughed.

"No Mizar, I'm not as predictable as you are. I was going to guess a fire creature actually. Since in both cases, someone was running away. People are usually afraid of fiends, which is my guess for what the first creature was, bugs is my guess for the second creature, and the third, for this time, I'm guessing will be fire, be cause people escape fires. All three are normal reasons to run away for humans, rather than standing and fighting." He explained his reasoning to them both, and they both gained looks of understanding.

"I see. Interesting deductions Nash." Mizar was happy with this idea, but Dumon was contemplating another possibility.

"What if they are prisoners in some place unknown, and they are trying to escape?" The boy with glasses suggested.

"That's a valid reason to call for help and run away, but constantly get caught, isn't it?"

"Dumon raises a good point." Mizar agreed.

"Lets just find out what's happening first, shall we?" Shark ended the conversation, closing the two channels on his end as he focused on driving.

~~

Kite dropped in, and Quattro drove up from the opposite direction of the three students as they all converged into one big group. Orbital took off, returning to the lab on Kite's command.

"What are you three doing here?" Kite asked, sounding like he spoke with disdain, when really he was just wondering.

Quattro poked his head out of the car. "Yeah, aren't you three meant to be in school?"

Shark stood up. "Hart sent for us- and I don't like missing out on action. Good enough reasons for ya?" He grumped at Quattro especially.

Quattro shrugged. "Dunno if you'll be seeing much action; after all, Kite and I are here." He laughed.

"Where is the source of the signal?" Dumon asked, bringing the important back to everyone's attention.

Mizar looked around. "Dumon's right, I don't see the anomaly anywhere." Kite jumped down off the roof he was on and landed near the car, getting in with Quattro.

"Drive with us, we'll send you access to the live feed." The boy with the scarred face grinned as he spoke, getting in with Kite.

All three solo drivers gained a screen with a map of their current location, and a red ping as to the location of the anomaly. Kite opened up a channel to Mizar, hoping to speak with him. "Yes Kite? Did you need something?" Mizar glanced up, and otherwise focused on driving.

Kite smirked. "I was just wondering about the reason you came along. Was it so you could watch the true Galaxy Eyes Master at work?" He chuckled.

"Shut up Kite, we have more important things to focus on that our past and personal history." Mizar hung up on him. Kite laughed more, and even Quattro couldn't help but grin some.

"You know, you should leave the poor guy alone. We want him to work with us, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Kite looked out the passenger side front window, leaning on the door with his elbow. "I was genuinely curious though. Mizar doesn't seem like the lapdog type of guy, and yet here he is, blindly following Shark still. I guess that either means he has gotten over his hate for humans, or more likely…. He stays with his own 'kind' to avoid average humans as often as possible."

"I agree with you, but I mean, it has been a long while since he, or any of them, have had their Barian powers, so maybe more than just that changed for Mizar?" Quattro suggested.

A call from Dumon interrupted the conversation. "I think I've found the source of the anomaly. It's coming from that warehouse."

They had driven all the way to the side of town where the docks were situated. Getting out of their vehicles, Kite went in first, followed by Shark, Dumon, Quattro and finally Mizar. Inside, they were greeted with the sight of a the same escapee silhouette from the last two encounters, and a third unknown monster, though this time backed up by the first two creatures. The unknown person seemed to be in a duel with the creatures, and judging by both their stance, and the ragged breathing they could all hear, the duelist wasn't doing so well.

"Hey, you need some help?" Quattro asked, but the mysterious duelist didn't seem to notice, or was too preoccupied with their duel. Suddenly, Shark, Mizar and Dumon were overcome with a sharp pain in their hearts, causing them to double over. Shark fell on one knee, his pain worse than that of the others, and Dumon staggered over to his side.

"What's happening to us-?" The grey haired boy managed to ask, in between his gasps for air. Quattro and Kite looked behind them, both making noises of surprise.

"Something in that duel is reacting with our bodies- Look!" Mizar held out one arm, his other hand clutched to his chest. The hand he was showing his companions looked as it did in his former Barian dorm. With a pulse of energy, the five companions finally got to see the other side of the story. Seemingly transported from the abandoned warehouse, before them they saw three monsters, and a single duelist facing off against them, and losing.

"You're in your Barian forms- how is this possible?" Kite asked, glancing about at their surroundings for an answer. He was greeted with a strange interdimensional plane of existence that had been hidden away somehow.

"Are you three going to be alright?" Quattro asked them.

"We will be fine!" Shark barked back, straining up onto his feet again. Dumon stood by his side, getting used to his own pain. Mizar seemed the least affected, and pointed to the mystery duelist.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones in Barian forms here."

"But are they friend? Or foe?" Kite asked, grimacing. He took a picture of the scene before them, just before the group witnessed one of the monsters attack. It was the large, stone golem that attacked, with a punch that sent the robed Barian flying backwards hard enough into the centre of the group of men standing behind. As soon as the mystery person hit the ground, the world around them began to flash. Not only that, but in Astral world, Heartland Academy, and the Tenjo lab as well. Astral, Rio and Hart were all hit with the shockwave at once, not that anyone except themselves knew it. With each instant, they were in either the warehouse or the unusual between realm, the environment flicking before their eyes could focus. Instead, they trained their eyes on each other to retain some focus. The monsters began to advance, and the form shook, trying to sit up.

" _N-Nash… please… help me-_ " Revealing the figure as a female, the unknown realm vanished before her reaching hand could make it to he whom she called out to- Shark. Now that they were back in the warehouse, the pain stopped, and the former Barians were human once more. Standing normally once more, Shark looked at where the robed figure once was, now gone.

"What was that about? You know them or something?" Kite asked, arms crossed as he looked to Shark. "Seemed like we missed one of your Barian buddies."

"Shut it Kite! I have no idea who that was, and I assure you, it was no buddy of mine. I'm outta here." Shark scoffed, turning and leaving.

Mizar was soon to follow suit. "I will also take my leave now."

As the two began walking away, Quattro rolled his eyes and called his brothers to tell them what happened. Kite was focused on Dumon however, who looked deep in thought.

"Something wrong?"

"You coming Dumon?" Shark asked a second later from across the warehouse, waiting for him.

Dumon nodded after a moment. "Kite… we will talk later." He spoke decidedly, before leaving with Shark and Mizar. But as he drove back to Heartland Academy, he couldn't help but feel like he knew her voice from somewhere...


	5. Secret Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hart, Rio and Astral meet up and discuss important events.

After the unusual sensation of his heart thudded hard and a rippling feeling of power went through Hart, he had nearly collapsed again. Rio had a headache for the rest of the day, even still now. Tablets weren't helping it. And as for Astral, he felt highly uneasy. Power like this was rare, so whatever was going on must have been big.

"Hey Rio, are you there?" Hart sent a call through, talking quietly so as to not draw Kite's attention.

"Hart? I'm surprised you have my number. Is something wrong?" Rio was in her room at the home of the Barians, and thus had no need to be quiet on her end.

"You can sense things, right? Like me and Astral can?" He asked, hopeful that what he had heard was true.

Rio nodded, confirming Hart's hopes. "I used to get visions, and they started again recently. Did you sense something earlier today, like I did?" 

"Yeah, I nearly threw up…" He nodded. "Has Astral really come back? Maybe we could meet up tonight and talk about it?' Hart suggested. "Though, it's hard for me to go anywhere without my brother, and I don't want to interrupt his work."

"I'll just have to come meet you then!" Rio smiled. "Send me your address, and I'll meet you out the front. And yes, I had heard Astral came back, Alito, Girag and Vector were talking about it when we were at school today."

"Alright! Well, I'll send you the address, and I'll call Yuma and Astral. See you soon Rio!" They smiled at each other and hung up, Hart proceeding to ring Yuma.

~~

Astral had returned from his world as soon as he had told Eliphas and Enna the powerful energy he had sensed, gaining their leave this time to go investigate. He returned to Yuma, finding him asleep on his hammock after school, instead of doing his homework; a common observation Astral had made throughout his time with his best friend. 

Yuma's duel gazer rang, but as it was not the smell of food, or the floor coming to meet him, the boy didn't wake up. Thus, Astral felt compelled to answer it, especially when he saw who was calling.

"Hart? Is everything alright?"

"Astral!" Hart became visibly excited on screen, smiling brightly. "It's so awesome to see you again!" He laughed happily.

Astral smiled, thankful he had such strong friendships with so many people now. "It is nice to see you again too, my young friend."

"I was actually hoping to speak with you, so I'm really glad you're there right now. Rio and I felt some weird disturbance, and she and I are going to meet up out the front of my house. Do you want to come too? We figured that if we felt it, you probably did as well, which means something not good is happening."

Astral's mouth became pursed as he thought about what was going on, before he smiled softly again. "I would love to meet with you. Is it alright if Yuma tags along?"

"Of course!" Hart chuckled. "Yuma is always fun to have around."

"That indeed he is. Send us the information, and I'll try to make sure Yuma is awake in time to come with me."

"Thanks so much Astral. See you soon!" They disconnected, and Astral began to hatch a just in case plan to wake up Yuma, should he be asleep when they needed to go.

~~

"Yuma….. Yuma- there are burning crepes in the oven." Astral whispered things to Yuma about tragedies occurring to food, and Yuma woke up after about four minutes.

"OH MY that was horrible! Who puts burnt caramel on uncooked brownies?!" Yuma woke rather suddenly, after his crazy nightmare about food having gone wrong. Astral chuckled.

"I am glad you are awake my friend. We have a meeting to attend." Astral smiled.

Yuma blinked. "Astral?? You came back again again? Something big must be going on, huh?" Yuma had frowned, but now he grinned. “It’s great to see you again buddy!”

“It is good to see you again also, Yuma. However, I suggest you get ready to leave. Hart is expecting us in half an hour.”

“Hart? Why does Hart wanna see us? Not that I’m against going to go meet him, it would be great to see him again too.” Yuma started to pull his socks on.

Astral crossed his arms, in his typical pondering pose as he levitated in Yuma’s slowly darkening bedroom. “He, myself, and Rio all felt an unusual disturbance today. Hart wishes to discuss it with us.”

Yuma replied after an awkward moment of trying to pull his shoes on. “Now that you mention it, Rio wasn’t looking so well at school, during lunch. And Shark, and Mizar and Dumon all vanished from school until lunch was about over. It was pretty strange! I’m sure we will find out more though. So, where is it we are headed?”

“To the Tenjo household. Hart sent us directions.” Astral handed over Yuma’s duel gazer. “He called while you were asleep, and since you made no move to wake up and answer it, I answered it for you.”

“Uhh…. thanks.” Yuma felt a little awkward, but he didn’t mind, since he knew Astral was simply trying to help him. “To Hart!” He declared, and with his dueling gear, he set out to join this mysterious meeting.

~~

Rio slipped out of her doorway, hoping to leave without alerting the others in the house. However, her timing was poor, as Dumon exited his room at the same time across the hallway. Seeing her nervous face, he decided something was up and that he would ask her about it. “Hey Mirin, something wrong?” He kept his voice down, so as to not alert, waken, or worry anyone that may overhear them from the surrounding rooms.

“Oh, everything is fine, I’m just going out for some fresh air….” Rio answered, hoping it was enough to make him leave her be. However, this was not the case.

“I was just headed out to speak with Kite, if he will allow me. I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone else.” Dumon spoke to her again as they both exited the hallway, into the main entrance room.

After they both reached the front door and Rio had taken a deep breath, she touched Dumon’s arm gently. “Dumon? You said you were going to go and see Kite, right?” Dumon nodded, then readjusted his glasses, and Rio continued. “I was actually going to go and see Hart, as well as Yuma and Astral. Would you like to come with me, since we are both headed there anyway? Maybe then my brother wouldn’t be upset over me sneaking away on my own, as I would be with you instead.” Rio smiled politely, and her friend returned it.

“I would be honoured to travel as your escort Miss Mirin Kastle.” He spoke formally, gaining a chuckle and an embarrassed blush from her.

“Oh Dumon, let’s just get going, shall we?” The pair headed off together into the darkened street, soon to be lit by the electronic lamp posts that dotted the sidewalks.

~~

When there was only ten minutes until everyone was due to arrive, Hart signaled Trey that it was time to try and ensure that Kite was distracted, and not suspicious. He hadn’t told his older brother about the bout of sickness he had felt whilst they were investigating the signal earlier that day, as he didn’t want Kite to worry for no reason. Trey had agreed to help Hart because he knew how Kite could get, and avoiding unnecessary worry was always better for everyone. Once he knew his brother wouldn’t notice that he had left his room, Hart slipped out his window and climbed down the roof carefully, into Quinton’s arms.

“Trey told me what was going on. Don’t worry, I am here to help. You wouldn’t want to hurt yourself accidentally during this little escapade of yours, and risk Kite finding out, now would you?” Quinton chuckled softly, and Hart smiled shyly. 

“Good point. Thanks for catching me Quinton.” The small boy was placed onto the ground safely, and Quinton headed back inside.

“You have forty minutes, and then I will come back out and help you back to bed if you aren’t finished by then.” With a swish of hair and jacket, Quinton disappeared around the corner.

Hart moved out the front, and it wasn’t long before Yuma and Astral appeared, walking down the street towards him. Running up to his friends, the small boy hugged the duelist around the waist tightly, and then waved excitedly to Astral upon letting go. “Hello! It’s so good to see you both again.” He spoke excitedly, but in a whisper.

“What’s with the keeping quiet Hart? Something the matter?” Yuma was confused.

“My brother doesn’t know I’m out here, I’m supposed to be asleep in bed… but I wanted to help Kite, so I called our little meeting anyway.” Hart explained, looking down guiltily at the pavement until Astral spoke up.

“I had not realised you were the devious type Hart. Though, I imagine it is more to find information to avoid worrying Kite more than necessary, yes?” Astral surmised, and Hart nodded as Astral was correct. “Has Rio not arrived yet?”

“I’m right here thank you!” Rio giggled, her hands on her hips in an indignant pose, despite the grin on her face. “And I brought a friend, I hope you don’t mind.” She prodded Dumon, who stepped into view. 

“Hello everyone. I hope you don’t mind me intruding, but whilst I was actually on my way here to see Kite, Mirin filled me in on what was happening, and I thought to share my information with you all first instead.”

“Hello Dumon and Rio. It is a pleasure to see you both again as well.” Astral greeted them, and Yuma got over his surprise, since Rio had scared him with her sudden speech. Once they had all finished with their hello’s, they got to business.  
“That strange surge of power you all felt, sounds like it happened around the same time Mizar, Nash and I had returned to our Barian forms, though temporarily, and with great pain.” Dumon informed the group. “The place we were transported to was strange, it reminded me a bit of a mixture of Barian World, and Sargasso. Full of ancient, chaotic energy, but lost between the worlds as a wasteland of its own.”

Everyone had taken up their own form of thinking poses as Dumon spoke about the experience he had shared during the strange power phenomenon. “You regained your barian forms, even though technically we are just Humans now?” Rio asked him, to ensure she was understanding this correctly. The silver-haired male nodded, and Astral raised an eyebrow.

“That should not have been able to happen… I ensured that you were human. Perhaps… I have missed something greater? If so, I apologize profusely for what has, and is happening.” The blue figure gave his sincerest apologies to the entire group present, as all of them (Except Yuma really) had experienced something that caused great discomfort to each of them, as to something he believed was his fault.

“Don’t worry Astral, we don’t blame you. You did something awesome for all of us.” Hart tried to cheer him up.

“Yeah!” Yuma agreed. “You brought so many people back to life and let us all live happily together, you did awesome Astral!”

Astral gave a saddened but heartfelt smile. "You truly are wonderful friends. Thank you."

"There is… one other thing I would like to mention." Dumon spoke up again, and everyone turned to look at him. "I think I remember her from somewhere. I'm not sure yet where however. She just seemed… familiar." He sighed, still trying to remember where he knew the mysterious figure from.

"What did she look like?" Rio asked, as only the five who were there knew what everything looked like.

Dumon shook his head. "She was thickly robed, so we didn't see much of her. But she knew Nash by name."

"That's real weird. I-" Yuma was cut off.

"Hart! Why aren't you in bed?" Kite asked from the doorway of the house.

Trey stood behind Kite, smiling with slight awkward embarrassment. "Sorry Hart, I think I overdid it a little!" 

"I assure you, your brother's actions were important." Astral informed Kite.

"I get that, but still. Hart, please come with me." Kite held out his hand, and led him inside. Hart mouthed a thank you to Trey, getting a silent "you're welcome" in return as they headed upstairs.

Once Hart was back in bed, Kite relaxed, sitting beside him. "I'm sorry I worry over you so much Hart, but it's been you and me for so long, I just want to make sure you are safe… especially with this unknown, potential threat affecting our city in random areas. I'm glad that you told someone… but why didn't you tell me?"

"I just didn't want to worry you if it was nothing. I felt sick earlier today, and I found out it wasn't just me. Rio and Astral felt it too." Hart was excited to finally be the one to have found the information, enjoying that he could help out.

"Did you discover what it meant?" Kite asked, smiling softly as he saw the excitement in his younger brother's eyes. It stirred his own childish excitement deep down, and that's why he worked so hard to see his younger brother happy. 

"Sort of, well, we know a few new things. Dumon thinks he remembered the person, and Astral said he apologises if he missed something important when he used the Numeron Code, but in theory a lot of things might still be possible."

"You did some good research work Hart." Kite patted his brother lovingly on the head, and then held the blanket up so Hart could lay down. "You get some rest, alright?"

"Okay Kite." Hart yawned. "I love you brother…"

"I love you too Hart." Kite looked back one last time, before closing the door behind him as he walked out.


	6. Newcomer That's Late to the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing; Orianna!

"I hope Kite doesn't get him into too much trouble." Yuma said hopefully, once the boys had gone inside.

"Maybe he should be less protective of Hart. Its not just him that's looking out for the boy anymore, and I know what overprotective brothers can be like, trust me." Rio sighed and blew her bangs out of her face.

Astral was calm, as he usually was. "I think it's just concern. I do not think that Hart is in any sort of… parental trouble?" He sought to find the right words he meant.

"Perhaps Hart will share with Kite what we have said." Dumon suggested. "Meaning I will not need to tell him myself after all."

Someone cleared their throat. "Uhm, excuse me? You look like a group of nice, kind people- can I stay with you for a little while please? I-I'm afraid, I think someone is following me…." A girl approached them, hugging herself as she was genuinely afraid and looking for some company.

"Sure! What's your name?" Yuma asked, eager to jump at the chance at making a new friend.

She looked up at them, and they all saw that her eyes were two different colours. "My name is Orianna, it-it's a pleasure to meet you all. Who might you guys be?"

"I'm Yuma Tsukumo, World Duel Carnival Champion and one of the guys that helped save everyone!" Yuma gave proud smile while he boasted, and Rio sighed at him, annoyed.

"If Tori were here, she would tell you off for being so boastful. Don't make me do it for her!" She warned.

Yuma panicked. "Aaah, no I'm good, I like my ears attached thank you." He whimpered , makimy everyone else in the group, Orianna noticed, chuckle at his plight.

"Any way, I am Rio, and this is Dumon." Rio introduced the other male also.

"It is always a pleasure to make a new friend." Dumon was polite, as always.

Orianna looked up to Astral. "What about you mister? What's your name?" A look of surprise crossed his face.

"I am surprised you can see me. My name is Astral. Might I inquire as to how you are able to see me?"

Orianna pointed to her eyes. "I was born with a condition that lets me see things that aren't there, allegedly. So, like with a duel for example, I don't need a gazer to see the monsters attack each other- just everything else. So, I suppose that means I can see you too Astral." She smiled at him happily. "Actually, it's because I could see you that I felt you were nice people." She added helpfully.

"That's nice to know." Rio chuckled.

"Hey you lot. Get in here, you look stupid standing around the street in the middle of the night." Kite grumped at them, implying they come inside immediately, not noticing the newcomer.

"You should come inside with us. You'll indeed be safe that way, if someone truly is following you." Dumon gestured for Orianna to go in before himself.

"O-Oh my, thank you." Orianna was very thankful as she headed inside, with Dumon entering last.

Looking around the laboratory, Orianna was amazed. There was technology she was unfamiliar with all over the walls, and she had to be careful to not trip on anything. Noticing that everyone else seemed accustomed to where they were, she felt even more so out of place.

"Who's the newcomer?" A high pitched male voice sounded out, making everyone jump.

"Vetrix?" Yuma asked in surprise, not expecting to see him.

"Yes Yuma, hello. Nice to see everyone again, but I'm quite busy you know." He laughed.

"M-my name is Orianna." She piped up, letting him know her name as he had asked.

The group came before the screen that Hart usually monitored, having no idea what it was for- except for Dumon, who recognised it from when they tracked down the signal.

"Hart already filled me in on what you spoke about before… though I do have some questions for her." Kite had his arms crossed, looking intimidating as he looked away from the screen to stare at her instead.

"I'll do my best to answer them for you. You have let me into your house after all." The new girl replied politely.

Yuma however, stepped in front of her, arms out as if to protect her. "We just met her! Don't go interrogating her Kite, that's not nice."

"Don't you think her arrival is a little bit suspicious? It coincides with all these weird occurrences." Kite pointed out.

"You're just paranoid." Yuma huffed, crossing his arms and pouting.

"It couldn't hurt to ask her a little more about her." Dumon stated warily.

Astral nodded. "I agree. I am curious to know about our new friend some more. Her sight ability is already curious."

Rio shook her head. "I agree with Yuma, we should interrogate someone who came to us thinking we were nice! That just gives off a bad impression."

Orianna stepped forward, and then tripped a little further accidentally because of a cable. Fixing her skirt to calm herself down again, she regained her earlier resolve. "I don't mind answering any questions he might have for me. After all, I am his guest, and you all seem to know each other so well already… it's only fair I tell you about myself if I want to be your friend too."

"Good. First, where are you from?" Kite asked, wasting no time.

"Just remember, only answer with what you feel comfortable with, okay?" Rio whispered quietly.

"It's alright. I'm from out of town, I got here two days ago." She answered simply.

"Why did you come?" Kite wasted no time.

"I wanted to transfer to Heartland Academy to try and make some friends, and get over some fears of mine. I just haven't found a place to stay yet."

"Have you noticed anything strange around the city?"

Orianna shook her head. "No?"

"Hmmmm…." Kite turned back to the screen.

"I guess that's good enough for him!" Yuma grinned.

Rio held Orianna's shoulder softly. "Come stay with me! We girls have gotta stick together." She smiled excitedly, causing the new girl to blush in embarrassment.

"Thank you Rio."

"We should be getting back. It is late." Dumon spoke up, clearly in deep thought.

Everyone agreed, and Quinton agreed to drive people back to their homes, to ensure everyone's safety. Dropping off Orianna, Rio and Dumon last, Quinton paused to speak with them. "How are you to explain this to Shark and the others?"

Rio chuckled. "Oh, don't you worry about my brother, I'm sure I'll work something out. And I'll have Dumon to back me up!" She smiled brightly, an arm around both friends.

Orianna blushed in surprise, and Dumon showed his own form of it. "Are you sure that's going to work?" Quinton asked her, eyebrow raised.

"Yup! If it doesn't, then he can deal with it." She gave evil chuckles, as devious siblings do. Quinton bid them goodbye, and left them to deal with the fallout of bringing a stranger into the house of a tight knit group.


End file.
